SOUTH DENNIS - Town Planner Daniel Fortier will open discussion of FEMA's new flood risk maps at the Planning Board's meeting at 6:30 p.m. today in the Dennis Town Hall.

Those maps stirred up quite a bit of local concern last summer, when they were first published, since thousands of Dennis properties not previously considered at risk for flood were placed in risk zones.

Fortier plans to hand out the proposed zoning tweaks needed to incorporate the new maps into the Dennis town bylaws, but he will recommend the board hold off on scheduling the required public hearing on the changes until March or April.

The bylaw changes would go before town meeting in May.

“Tonight, I'm going to explain why we need to change the zoning,” Fortier said. “We'll wait to hold the hearings to give some time to Congress to delay the maps.”

Currently there is a bill pending that would delay implementation of the new maps for up to four years.

For Fortier's blog on the maps, go to dennismaplanningdept.wordpress.com/